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Create an Employer User Account, Join a Company, and Connect with Institutions

Tawnya
  • Updated

Are you ready to join Handshake and streamline your hiring process? Review our best practices, then follow the steps below to create your account and get started. 

 

Best practices 

Employers (non on-campus employers) 

On-campus employers

  • Determine if you are an on-campus employer by referring to Identifying On-Campus Employers.
  • Verify if your institution uses the Company model or the Divisions model for employer accounts. This information will guide you through the connection process with your institution’s profile on Handshake.

 

 

Sign up 

1. Visit https://app.joinhandshake.com/employer_registrations/new and enter the following information: 

  • Email Address
  • Password (create new password) 
    • Passwords on Handshake must:
      • Contain eight characters, or more
      • Contain characters from two of the following three character classes:
        • Alphabetic (e.g., a-z, A-Z)
        • Numeric (i.e. 0–9)
        • Punctuation and other characters (e.g.,!@#$%^&*()_+|~-=\`{}[]:";'<>?,./)
    • Note: passwords are not encrypted.

Sign up as an employer.png

 

2. Click the blue button Sign Up, and on the next page, enter the following information:

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Phone Number 
    • A phone number is required to provide a point of contact for career centers. This information isn't visible to students. 
  • Job Title
    • Enter your personal job title, and not the job that you are recruiting for.
  • Country 
    • This information is collected to ensure that Handshake can observe all relevant practices in your country.
  • Tell us the types of candidates you would like to find 
    • Check the box next to the major categories you'd like to source from.  
    • Note: while there isn't a way to add categories to this list, you may choose from additional major categories in the Candidate qualifications section of the job posting form.
  • Add your Alma Mater (the institution you formerly attended and/or graduated from)
    • Institution Name
      • Type to search, or click the dropdown menu to search for and select your institution.
    • Grad Year 
      • Click the dropdown menu to select your grad year. 
    • Note: if your Alma Mater is partnered with Handshake, an alumni contact entry will be automatically created at your Alma Mater. 

 

3. When finished, click the blue button Save and continue in the lower-right corner of the page. 

Step 1 of 3.png

 

4. Review Handshake Employer Guidelines, as well as the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Employer guidelines.png

If you’re a third-party recruiter, Handshake requires you to identify your account accordingly.

According to Handshake, a third-party recruiter is:

  1. An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for a company other than the one they work for.
  2. An employer who is hiring or posting jobs, but another company provides the pay/salary.
  3. An employer who is hiring or posting jobs for both the company they work for and another company.

Third-party recruiters are prompted to answer the question "Are you a 3rd party recruiter working on behalf of another company?"

  • If you are a third party recruiter, click the button Yes, then review our third-party recruiting policies, and check the box for "I agree and comply with the above third-party recruiting policies." 
  • If you're not a third-party recruiter, click the button No.

Are_you_a_third_party_recruiter_working_on_behalf_of_another_company__.png

 

5. To proceed, check the box to agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you’d like to receive marketing messages, including promotions and special offers from Handshake, check the additional box.

 

6. When finished, click the blue button Save and continue in the lower-right corner of the page. 

 

7. The next page contains instructions on how to verify your account using the email address you provided. The email should arrive within 10 minutes and will contain a link to confirm your account.

If you don't receive a confirmation email, check out Troubleshooting a Missing Confirmation Email. 

Great__You_ve_successfully_signed_up_for_Handshake__instructions__.png

 

8. When the email arrives, click the red button Confirm Email in the email to verify your account.

  • If you're joining your company on Handshake as an Advocate from an invitation, and your email has been confirmed, you may now set up your profile. Learn more about Onboarding as an Advocate.

Note: email verification links are active for 12 hours after they are sent.

 

Confirm your email address on Handshake.png

 

Connect with your company

Upon confirming your email address, you will be directed to Handshake, where you can join your company or create a new company profile.

The page will display a list of company profiles associated with your email domain. If there is more than one, review the details for each profile. Click the blue button Request to select that company profile. 

  • For third-party recruiters, we recommend that you connect with the company you work for, or create a company profile if your company does not yet exist on Handshake, and then list your client's name in the job postings, as users can only be connected to one company profile per email.
  • If your company is found and you're part of a division, request to join your company and contact the owner of the company profile to add your division to the profile. Learn How to Add Divisions to Your Company.

Find_and_join_your_company_.png

Requested_button.png

 

If companies are not pre-populated, use the search bar to find your company.

  • If your company does not exist, click the button Create New Company to the right of the page. For additional details, refer to How to Create a New Company Profile.
  • If you can't find your company, including a specific branch or division, or if you're unable to create a new company profile, contact our Support team here.

Can_t_find_your_company__Create_new_company.png

 

Validate your account 

If you've created a new company profile, your account will be manually reviewed and validated by our Trust and Safety team. Though you will be able to access the platform immediately, access will be subject to approval by the team as accounts are reviewed.

 

Access your account 

After your employer's account has been validated, or you have connected with your existing company profile, you can post jobs to any institution in Handshake. Learn how How to Post a Job.

If you do not have a job to post and instead want to post an event to a particular institution, contact the institution directly and ask to be proactively approved. To locate a institution's contact information in Handshake, refer to How to Contact an Institution.

 

Additional Resources